Rams News Recap: July 22

[RamBill]

Rams Notebook: Alexander is Healthy and Looking to Contribute –PD
On Monday, Eureka High product Maurice Alexander received some good news. On Tuesday, he returned to action in the first of two rookie workouts at Rams Park in Earth City.

The Best and Worst of Rams Camps Entering Year 20 –PD
Believe it or not, the Rams are embarking on their 20th training camp since the move to St. Louis. There is plenty to choose from over the first 19 camps, but here are 10 memorable moments — some of which the Rams would undoubtedly like to forget — listed in reverse chronological order.

Michael Sam Brushes off Dungy Remarks –PD
Rams defensive end Michael Sam knew this could happen. Whenever someone with a microphone and some stature made a critical remark about his attempt to become the first openly-gay player to make an NFL roster, Sam knew it could become an instant story.

Tony Dungy Clarifies Comments About Michael Sam –NFL.com
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy made news on Monday when he was quoted saying that he wouldn’t have drafted Michael Sam because of the distractions surrounding him.

Rams Make Roster Moves –Latsch
The Rams announced some roster moves on Tuesday afternoon, shortly before their rookies took the practice field for the first time in training camp.

Where Bradford Ranks Among NFL QBs –Wagoner
The short period of the offseason in which NFL teams are between the end of organized team activities and the beginning of training camp leaves a little bit of a void for league-related content.

Rams Rookies Get Back to Work –Latsch
The Rams rookies and a few of their younger players took the field on Tuesday at Rams Park for the unofficial start of training camp.

My Wish: Jake Long Surprises Super Fan Stephen –Video

What Kind of Production Do the Rams Need From Bradford? –Radio Interview

Joyner Could Give Rams Their Own “Honey Badger” –Stalter
The moment the Rams selected Florida State’s Lamarcus Joyner in the second round of May’s NFL draft, I couldn’t get Tyrann Mathieu out of my head.

Can Brian Quick Breakout in Year 3? –TST
The Rams made a big bet on their incumbent wide receivers this year. Can the 33rd pick in the 2012 draft finally live up to the billing?

Rams Rookies Set to Get to Work –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams don’t officially open training camp until Friday when the full roster reports. But for the team’s rookies, the action begins Tuesday afternoon.

Morning Ram-blings: An L.A. Stadium? –Wagoner
In the years since the Rams and the Raiders departed Los Angeles for St. Louis and Oakland, respectively, there’s been almost endless speculation about what it would take to get football back in the City of Angels.

Anthony Stalter: Rams Will Allow Sam Bradford to Be Glorified Game Manager –Radio Interview

ESPN’s Jeffri Chadiha: The Rams are ready to make the jump into the Playoffs –Radio Interview

Rookies Officially Report to Rams Training Camp –Video

NFL Network NFC West Preview –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Preseason polling
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9785/morning-ram-blings-preseason-polling

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The Associated Press released its first 2014 NFL power poll Tuesday with preseason rankings of the league's 32 teams.

The St. Louis Rams checked in at No. 17 on the list, not far from where they finished the 2013 season in terms of actual performance rather than a projection.

Considering no games have been played since the end of the season, it's easy to see why those rankings wouldn't have been altered much, the poll offers a harsh reminder of the work the Rams have to do to catch up in the NFC West division. As though a reminder was needed.

Scanning the rankings, the Rams sitting at No. 17 wouldn't seem so bad were it not for the fact that they are the lowest-ranked team amongst the four NFC West franchises.

The defending champion Seattle Seahawks are No. 1 with the San Francisco 49ers on their heels at No. 2. According to the polling, just 23 voting points separate the two NFC West powerhouses. From there, the Arizona Cardinals check in at No. 16.

Much like college football and basketball, preseason polls don't mean much of anything. And, unlike college football where rankings ultimately factor into who makes the playoffs, the NFL doesn't have to rely on the whims of voters to decide its champion.

The good news for all of us? The real games will begin soon enough and the actual standings will become the only rankings that matter.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we opened the day with a look at the possibility of a new league-funded stadium popping up in Los Angeles. ... The Rams rookies reported for duty Monday with their first workout taking place Tuesday afternoon. ... Next, we looked at how quarterback Sam Bradford ranked in a couple of offseason polls. ... Finally, we heard from defensive end Michael Sam as he prepares to participate in his first NFL training camp.

Elsewhere:

A couple of thoughtful columns on the Sam/Tony Dungy comments:

First, from Dan Graziano, who writes that Dungy's use of the term distraction could only perpetuate it as en excuse even further.

Kevin Seifert posits that there's one surefire way for Sam to quiet Dungy and any other non-believers.

For more context, here's the news story with Dungy's clarification of his comments.

At 101sports.com, Anthony Stalter draws the comparison of Rams defensive back Lamarcus Joyner and Arizona defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.